The citizens committee of Little Burgundy has consistently made effort to ensure that the citizens of the neighborhood are treated fairly by the city of Montreal and the government of Quebec. Detailed below is a plan outlining a community outreach campaign to reach and energize citizens that may be unsure on the viability of the citizens committee. The plan will outline potential ideas that could be used to facilitate more effective outreach to the affected citizens.
WHO DOES IT APPLY TO?
This blog campaign will be primarily focus on informing and attracting citizens that are either disinterested in local policy, unaware of what the citizens committee is doing for the betterment of the community, or don’t know how to where to begin in contributing to said committee. Citizens will be motivated to contribute to the committee mainly due to the benefits it offers the community as a whole and as such it will take steps to highlight these attributes.
HIGHLIGHTING WHO IS AFFECTED
The easiest way to highlight the importance of the committee is to showcase previous actions and successful lobbying that has already taken place. Showing how many residents are displaced, the conditions of temporary housing and the unfavorable leases ratified in locations that have already been through the process of urban revitalization will bring the issue to forefront. If the problems are in the eyes of public it will be easier for them to understand the importance of the committee
The purpose of this media campaign is to bring these attributes to the forefront, showing how the committee is fighting against these wildly unpopular idea will help foster good will. Additionally, it is important that the public sees the committee taking the city to task on these issues, showing that the committee is fully willing to fight for the betterment of the public at large. Along with this it is important to highlight that the committee has direct access to the city and it’s planning committee. This is valuable to show that despite just being a collection of ordinary citizens the collection has the power to make change for the betterment of Little Burgundy at large.
FOSTERING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY
Since the committee is comprised of various residents of the local neighborhood it is important that this is highlighted. Spokespeople should be selected from the residents, specifically those who play a role in the community at large. It is important that the communications between the committee and the city are kept open, with the populace knowing the full extent of efforts done on their behalf. At the same time it is important that the committee responds to criticisms and suggestions from the public as well to emphasize the committee’s commitment to the community.
Efforts should be made to ensure that any meeting with the city is kept public if possible, as well as routinely calling on members of the public to attended these meetings to have their individual issues and voices heard.
ACTION PLAN
The first part of the initiative should look to collect grievances from those directly affected by the expropriation , along with ensuring residents are informed and educated on the measures the city plans to enact. The committee should organize rallies, protests and meetings among residents to ensure the flow of proper information is ensured to those effected by the process. As the project proceeds it is vital that these efforts do not taper but instead continue to ensure and foster public trust and image. Marches to city hall have been effective in forcing the city to acknowledge the city as a representative group, and should continue to maintain public presence and pressure.
TIMELINE
The committee should strive to hold weekly events, ranging from marches to rallies, to ensure the message stays within the minds who observe them. Rallies should be planned at busy times to ensure the general eye of the populace is always witnessing the events underway. Marches should be held when they will be seen as well for the same reasons. Meetings between the committee and those it represents should be held in a timely manner, possibly the week of, meetings with the city and project managers to ensure that information is exchanged in a timely manner. As the project progresses and more residents are affected by the expropriation it is important that information regarding the committee is delivered to them with haste.
CONCLUSION
The committee should strive to ensure that every affected person knows of it’s presence and goals. If the committee can successfully win the trust of the populace it can use the combined voices to ensure that the citizens of Little Burgundy have their needs and desires in this situation met. Using a combination of community outreach and spectacle to spread the message of the committee to all those effected is vital.